2024 Westland Business Awards

Congratulations to all of the people and businesses that will be honored at this year's 2024 Westland State of the City & Business Awards on September 17, 2024! To join the celebration, register by September 10 at www.livoniawestland.org/events.

Learn more about the honorees below.

Community Enhancement Award: Southeast Michigan Construction Academy

The Southeast Michigan Construction Academy (SEMCA) opened a new 25,000-square-foot trade school on the corner of Nankin Boulevard and Central City Parkway earlier this year.

The academy offers courses in carpentry, welding, electrical, and introduction to construction courses for young adult students. Courses are held in the evening so students can work on construction sites during the day, mimicking traditional apprenticeship models.

With more than 100 students signed up and seven staff in place for the first classes this fall, SEMCA Vice President Deanna Morley said the initial response far exceeded their expectations.

“We’ve had an overwhelming, positive response here in Westland from local businesses, schools and government officials since our grand opening,” Morley said.

SEMCA is a nonprofit school started by industry leaders in Madison Heights in the early 1990s. It invested $3.5 million to redevelop the vacant retail spot, formerly occupied by Dick’s Sporting Goods, into a modern, spacious, state-of-the-art trade school. The Westland site is the organization’s fifth school site in southeastern Michigan, designed to reach interested recent high school graduates from communities along the I-275 Corridor in western Wayne County.

“Our infrastructure is crumbling, there is a demand for projects but not enough workers,” Morley said. “We hope to put more people into the talent pipeline as we see the growing interest in the trades and construction.”

SEMCA programming, she added, is a more affordable postsecondary training alternative to college, and provides young people with skills to start good careers that bring opportunities to start their own business in the future.

Community Enhancement Award: Griffith Veterinary Hospital

A fixture on Ford Road since the early-1980s, Griffith Veterinary Hospital needed renovations to its aging clinic. After sorting through many ideas, the Griffith team decided to construct a new structure next door.

The attractive 5,000-square-foot building with many wood features opened earlier this year on the corner of Ford Road and Carlson. The project yielded the first mass timber vet hospital in Michigan. The $1.4 million investment more than doubled the space of the previous clinic, making room for new equipment and two more veterinarians. This significantly expanded the hospital’s capacity to tend to more pets. The former clinic was razed to expand the parking lot.

With the larger facility, Griffith already treated more than 7,000 pets this year through August. In the former space during all of 2023, Griffith tended to 5,100 pets. Clients include multiple-generations family members and those who drive from as far north as West Bloomfield and as far south as Monroe.

“We had the opportunity to go to other places, but we have a long-standing relationship with Westland and our client base, so moving away was out of the question,” said Amy Chapman, Griffith’s practice manager.

Chapman and Dr. Selena Lucas, the managing veterinarian, lead the 20-person staff that provide wholistic and traditional dog and cat care, including soft tissue surgeries and dental care.

“The response (to the new building) has been overwhelming,” Chapman said. “Many people love the look, feel and services, and we have attracted new clients.”

The Griffith team also donates its services and expertise to support feline rescue efforts with medical treatments that prepare these pets for adoption.

Outstanding Large Business of the Year: Westland Car Care Towing

After graduation from Taylor Kennedy High School, Doug Holland was looking for work 40 years ago when he was hired at the Gulf gas station on the corner of Joy and Merriman, a full-service facility with gas pumps, towing and auto repair.

At that Westland gas station, he learned all aspects of the operation – from changing tires and oil, to ordering parts, and making mechanical repairs. This experience sent him on a professional journey that would lead him to become the sole proprietor of Westland Car Care Towing.

From its Hix Road location, Westland Car Care’s staff of 50 responds to some 40,000 calls a year, primarily in Westland, Garden City and Canton. Holland said his team must have the heart to go along with the skills for the business to succeed.

“We are not just a towing company, we are here to help people, and everyone here has to be aware of that,” Holland said. “We are meeting people who are having their worst day, and we have to have respect, patience, and empathy as we help them.”

His ability to adjust during his four decades in business, the company’s high ratings from the AAA Michigan auto club, and its wide-ranging community involvement led to the selection of Westland Car Care Towing as Westland’s Outstanding Large Business of the Year for 2024.

The business moved from that Gulf gas station to the Redford Auto Repair location on the corner of Wayne and Cowan in the early-1990s when Holland became a partner. It expanded in the mid-1990s to its current location on Hix Road between Ford and Warren roads as the towing business grew. The operation added collision and truck repair for a while, but ended those operations in 2019 owing to a decline in qualified workers.

This enabled the company to focus on the towing operation from one location. Holland bought out his partner in 2020 to become the single owner. Since, his focus has centered on updates to staff training, good benefits to maintain his veteran staff, equipment and technology upgrades, and day-to-day involvement.

“Cars will always need to be towed, and we are leaders because we take the time to navigate people through the process,” he said.

With his company’s focus on Westland, Garden City, and Canton, Westland Car Care is often a local sponsor of numerous community events that benefit schools, veterans, police, senior citizens, community foundations, and other charitable events.

Holland and his wife of nine years, Amee, live in Westland. Together, they have four grown children.

Holland is particularly proud of his company’s consistent AAA rating that indicates more than 94% of his customers are satisfied.

Outstanding Small Business of the Year: The Dance Academy

For Amber Gilbert, dance has given her a life that has come full circle.

Growing up in Garden City, she fell in love with dance, learning from an instructor who is still a part of the dance studio she runs today.

After graduation from Temple Christian High School in Redford, she started teaching dance. She went to Eastern Michigan University to study dance and business. In 2001, she purchased the dance studio where she worked, located in a Garden City strip center. She later renamed the studio: The Dance Academy.

“I love working with kids,” Gilbert said, “then seeing them fall in love with dance and succeeding with it.”

In 2009, she moved her operation into a bigger space in the lower level of Westland Mall. With 18,000 square feet, there is room for four studios and community spaces and gift shop. The Dance Academy offers programming for those from age three to adults with disciplines in jazz, ballet, and hip-hop, among others. She also offers competitive dance for those aged 4-18.

In all, The Dance Academy serves 300-400 students each school year, where they prepare for a Christmas performance in Canton and a June recital in Dearborn. An additional 100 students participate in summer programs.

In recent years, she started offering classes for neurodivergent students and those with physical disabilities. One of her autistic students, now a young adult, has been in dance programs with her for 15 years.

“Our mission is to build community,” she said. “It gives us a sense of belonging, and it builds confidence in our lives. Dance is a way to show we care, and others matter.”

Along with her DJ, she brings free dance lessons to school programs, senior programs, parks and recreation events, and holiday events to get people moving. Gilbert said she doesn’t do it to recruit business as much as “we want to put a smile on people’s faces.”

During her 23 years at the helm, she employed past instructors and former students to lead her dance classes.

A busy networker, she credits her connections to the Westland community for opportunities to evolve, grow her business, and survive the tough times during the Great Recession and Covid limitations.

“The love of it all helped me get through those times,” Gilbert said, “I am grateful for those who came back.”

She also is a part of a regional non-profit project that raises money to fund dance scholarships for those in need. She also volunteers where she worships, Solid Rock Bible Church in Plymouth. Gilbert lives in Westland with her husband of 20 years, Steve Johnson.

Livonia First Citizen Award: LeKisha Maxwell

The political strife of 2020 inspired LeKisha Maxwell to get more involved in her community.

This led to conversations with political leaders, board appointments, volunteer efforts, and other activism that opened her eyes to those in need, motivating her to help. These efforts, passion and energy led to her selection as the recipient of the 2024 Westland First Citizen Award.

“Helping people is gratifying,” Maxwell said. “There is a satisfaction in knowing something has been taken care of for someone, and I don’t care if nobody knows where the help came from.”

Maxwell, a Westland resident for 14 years, is the Wayne County Public Health Project Director, where she oversees grant programs and promotes health initiatives. She previously worked for the University of Michigan as a research administrator for 14 years.

Since her community interests piqued in 2020, she became involved in the Westland Democratic Club and became a board member. She joined the Western Wayne NAACP where she leads veterans’ affairs and military services efforts. She was appointed to Westland Municipal Bureau Service Board, Westland Housing Board, and Norwayne Community Citizens Council.

She also provides mentoring and community service through her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, volunteers for the service club, Michigan Order of the Eastern Star, and joins community efforts to pack meals for veterans.

Maxwell, 44, ran earlier this year as a candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives in District 25, but lost in the Democratic Party primary. She was elected precinct delegate.

“What I liked most about running for office was knocking on doors and making people aware of issues in the upcoming election and resources available in the community,” Maxwell said.

With her expanding network, she identified local people in need. On her own, anonymously, she bought clothes and school supplies for kids. She bought food and health products for families.

“It is horrible when you learn that kids don’t have school supplies or clean clothes for school, or a veteran is going hungry,” she said. “I want to do what I can to make sure these people have what they need throughout the year.”

The Detroit Murray Wright High School alum earned an undergraduate degree from Davenport University and a master’s degree from Walsh College. She also enjoys spending time with her siblings, nephews and nieces, inspired by messages of her late-mother and late-grandmother who pushed her to move beyond comfort zones to make a difference.

Maxwell aspires to run for office again in the future, but now she is enjoying her community work. She was surprised when she learned she was selected for the First Citizen honor since most of her work is done behind the scenes.

“I’m honored and grateful,” Maxwell said. "I don’t look for the recognition, but it is good to be recognized.”

2024 Westland Business Awards

Congratulations to all of the people and businesses that will be honored at this year's 2024 Westland State of the City & Business Awards on September 17, 2024! To join the celebration, register by September 10 at www.livoniawestland.org/events.

Learn more about the honorees below.

Livonia-Westland Chamber of Commerce